Route 155 William McCarthy billboards defaced with swastikas

Two Route 155 campaign billboards touting Assembly candidate William McCarthy Jr. were defaced with swastikas overnight, the candidate and police said Friday morning.

McCarthy, an attorney and Albany Democrat running in Thursday’s six-way primary for 109th Assembly District, said the vandals struck overnight, forcing his campaign to take the billboards down.

Guilderland police Chief Carol Lawlor confirmed that the two signs on the town line with New Scotland were “spray-painted with black Nazi symbols” sometime between 8 p.m. Thursday night and 7 a.m. Friday morning.

Lawlor said police have no leads yet and have received no other reports of similar vandalism.

“It’s concerning,” the chief said. “They’re working it, but we don’t have any witnesses.”

McCarthy, who is on leave from job as an assistant attorney general during the campaign, stopped short of assigning blame for the vandalism but said it was only the latest and most serious in a series of misdeeds that have befallen his campaign materials all summer.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” said McCarthy, who is not Jewish. “I’m not sure if it relates to the campaign. I don’t want to attribute it to anybody.”

He also noted that it’s much more serious than the theft of campaign lawn signs — a common complaint during election season.

“It’s very upsetting,” McCarthy said, noting that the billboards were located on private property owned by a family member. “It’s a hate crime. It is a very serious matter.”

The vandalism happened in the hours after the candidates in the race gathered for the second of three forums ahead of Thursday’s primary elections.

The 109th Assembly District includes parts of Albany as well as the towns of Guilderland, New Scotland and Bethlehem.

These billboards on Rt. 155 in the Guilderland were homemade and quite prominent due to their size amongst the campaign signs out our way in the new 109th. They were folded down into the grass along the road Friday as of Friday, I guess due to this vandalism. A shame that anyone’s campaign in the 109th was the target of such imbecilic action. I hope the perpetrators are caught.

He got what he deserved with his extreme liberal agenda he plans to push on people of New York. Instead, we should all get behind a true fighter for the future of New York State — Ted Danz. He can take on the liberal elite, and bring sensible back to our state government.